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Even His promises may not be valid, because He made them with inadequate information. We still have Mark to go, but there are only a couple of discourses and a couple of miracles in Mark that arent in the other three gospels, so not a lot of new material. We sent you an email. 7 Reasons Why the Gospel of John is So Special 3 days ago The world, as they see it, is in an ongoing golden process of progress. The other view is whats called openness theology, and its the same thing; it simply means God has no idea what the future is. And may I remind you that you have one very, very important reality to deal with in case you think theres no future in Israel: living Israelites. I have never moved away from my conviction about these two things. Allis - well-known - says, The Old Testament prophecies if literally interpreted cannot be regarded as having been yet fulfilled or being capable of fulfillment in the present age. Thats true. If it doesnt mean what it says and everybodys got a different view, then nobody has the authority to say, This is true. Lets just stick with things that we know are true and things that all the good theologians agree on. (Ridgeley, Commentary on the Larger Catechism, 1:562. And for most evangelicals, for most people who hold to a sound, biblical view and Reformed theology, they would live and die that the text of Genesis 1 through 3 means exactly what it says it means, because thats the only way to interpret Scripture. Particular to this framework is the eschatological position known as "premillennial dispensationalism" which holds that Christ will return prior to a literal one-thousand-year reign on earth. John Fullerton MacArthur Jr. (born June 19, 1939) is an American Protestant pastor and author known for his internationally syndicated Christian teaching radio and television program Grace to You. So, this is a classic perfect fit for Arminian theology. Its not nearly as difficult as some people make it if you just take Scripture at face value. Most of the Reformers and the Puritans were postmils. Seventy percent - by the way - of Scripture is the story of Israel, start to finish. Today's Christians have been taught that they must flee responsibility, for Jesus' sake. That leaves me with the impression that God wants us not to question the length of its duration. Another way to see this would be to ask this question: what other category of theology - what other category of theology except atheism - starts with the alpha privative and labels itself as believing in something that doesnt exist? The Rise of Philo-Semitism and Premillennialism During the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries. Some people try to call it poetry, but its clearly not poetry - it has none of the earmarks of poetry, none of the characteristics of Hebrew poetry. DMcFadden said: The mixture of dispensational eschatology and Calvinist soteriology is not unique to MacArthur. Now, next time Im going to take you through a series of about five questions that were going to ask and see how this plays out on the pages of Scripture, okay? John MacArthur was one of the influences that helped turn me to Preterism. You have nothing to fear, nothing to worry about. But let me tell you something: normal, natural, literal interpretation is the only way to stop abuse of Scripture. As more and more information comes to Him, and as He has more and more experience in dealing with the issues of His universe, Hes getting better at being God. Let me give you a theology lesson here a little bit. The end is as divinely designed as the beginning, and God has given us massive amounts of revelation in the Scripture about the future. Please make sure all fields are filled out. Its the whole point of everything else. So, we can set aside the idea that somehow this is rooted in wacky dispensationalism; it is not. I dont know about you, but I really cant get too worked up about greenhouse gases. A Case for . Doctrinal Statement Student Testimonies TMS for your Family Academics Academics Overview Master of Divinity Master of Theology Doctor of Ministry Doctor of Philosophy Bachelor of Theology Diploma of Theology Center for Israeli Studies Distance Education Academic Calendar Tyndale Center for Bible Translation (Edmonton, AB Canada: Still Waters Revival Books, [1855] 1993), 2:621. Who will establish it? In the world, things will get better and better and better as the church becomes more powerful and more influential. Or another way to say it would be this: how many of you have attended an amillennial prophecy conference? #10. Arminians - not Armenians, thats different; those who follow Arminius - did not believe in election. And in line with that, I want to try, at least, in the next couple of Sunday nights to establish a foundation for our understanding. Oct 27, 2007. Pretribulational Rapture in 17th and 18th Century England. This up to now has been more like a lecture, but turn to Revelation chapter 1, and just look at verse 3 for a moment. Another Rapture passage - great one - verse 16: the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, the trumpet of God, the dead in Christ shall rise first. An Excellent Defense of The Rapture by Dr. John MacArthur But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. Erik Raymond is the senior pastor at Redeemer Fellowship Church in Metro Boston. Certainly, you have no idea what it means - neither does anybody else. And there are a lot of people who get the first one right - they get election right - and they dont get Israel right, and they are lost when it comes to eschatology. , . Grace to You radio, video, audio, print, and website resources reach millions worldwide each day. For details about this sermon and for related resources, click here: https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/90-339 To receive John MacArthur's monthly l. So, you interpret it right, and that will allow you to understand the meaning of the Covenants and the future of Israel; and Gods integrity is at stake. But if you read Genesis 1 to 3, its pretty clear the evening and the morning were the first day, the evening and the morning were the second day, the evening and the morning were the third day. Theres no sense in going in to all of that, except to say in both cases, they say there is no actual earthly reign of Christ fulfilling all Old Testament covenant promises. So, my words to you are really very simple foundational words, I say this. He doesnt know the future because it hasnt happened. "MacArthur calls himself a "leaky dispensationalist"--meaning he rejects any and all "dispensational" soteriological innovations, holding to classic Reformed (i.e., Protestant, not "covenantal") soteriology. Articles Baptist Theology Calvinism Charles Spurgeon Christology Classic Premillennialism Covenant Theology e-Articles e-Books Eschatology Historic . 13:79). John Knox (1) John MacArthur (4) John MacDuff (1) John Mark (1) John Piper (25) John T. Carroll (1) John the Baptist (1) . And it is powerfully persuasive. -- by John Walvoord -- p.98 10.The Early Witness to Premillennialism -- by Michael Vlach -- p.104 11.Premillennialism in the Old Testament Series -- by Arnold Fruchtenbaum -- p.107 Instead, MacArthur systematically unpacked the biblical theology that leads one to an unabashed Calvinistic eschatology. Major proponents J. N. Darby, C. I. Scofield, John Walvoord, A. C. Gaebelein, Charles Ryrie, Lewis S. Chafer, J. Dwight Pentecost, Charles C. Ryrie, John McArthur John MacArthur was born on 19 June, 1939. I just want to note that he neither proposed nor answered the types of objections that are oftentimes levied against premillennialists. They believe God elects nobody to salvation. 2023 Grace to You. It matters to me. ), We have, hence, sufficient ground to conclude, that, when these prophecies shall have their accomplishment, the interest of Christ shall be the prevailing interest in the world, which it has never yet been in all respects; so that godliness shall be as much and as universally valued and esteemed, as it has hitherto been decried, and it shall be reckoned as great an honour to be a Christian, as it has, in the most degenerate age of the church, been matter of reproach…. They believe that salvation can be gained and lost. A Purchased Victory: A Conference on the Bright Hope of Postmillennialism, Website made by Chittam Technology Solutions, LLC. You can choose Him and then not choose Him, and then choose Him again and then not choose Him, and you make the decision; and so, all of the promises of God are conditional on you. Arminius did not believe in election; those who follow him do not believe in election. You get your eschatology right when you get Israel right. If you dont know what you believe about the future, you cant preach on it. In fact, some say nearly one-fourth of Scripture is prophetic. Short Response to Dr. MacArthur's statement. Yet in Sproul's lifetime, he and MacArthur were close friends. I align myself to historical premillennialism, so I want to convey my own dismay with John MacArthur's sermon series from 2007. Amillennialism, dispensational premillennialism, historic premillennialism, postmillennialism, preterism. Also, among Scottish Presbyterian churches during this period, special days of prayer were set aside partly in order that the promised conversion of [Gods] ancient people of the Jews may be hastened. (Quoted in Murray, The Puritan Hope, 100.) I have even called thee by thy name Isaiah 65:9: Mine elect shall inherit it - the promises of God. Ligon Duncan and CJ Maheney (preaching tonight in the place of John Piper) both are Amil; Al Mohler and Mark Dever are both Historic Premil (I believe, correct me if I am wrong). He made them in the past, when He didnt know what He now knows, because what was going to happen hadnt happened. Dispensational premillennialism (DP) offers the most complex chronology of the end times.It argues that the current church age will end with the rapture of the church (cf. The church will move out of its own environs to capture nations, leaders, ideologies, philosophies, theories, religions, and bring them all into captivity to Christ. So, I say, leave amillennialism to those kinds of people who do not believe in the sovereign, unilateral, irrevocable, divine electing power of God. Amillennialism is ideal for Arminians because, according to their theology, God elects nobody and preserves nobody. Thats called process theology. MacArthur is a fifth-generation pastor, a popular author and conference speaker and has served as pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California since 1969, and as President of The Master's College (and the related Master's Seminary) in Santa Clarita, California. Does the end matter? But people are upset because MacArthur so badly misrepresented amillennialism, and because he defined "premillennialism" as though it were dispensationalism. John MacArthur is the pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, where he has served since 1969. Have you ever heard of that? Please contact the publisher to obtain copies of this resource. (1) That the old offcasten Israel for unbelief would never be forgotten, especially in these meetings, that the promised day of their ingrafting again by faith may be hastened; and that the dead weight of blood removed off them, that their fathers took upon them and upon their children, that have sunk them down to hell upwards of seventeen hundred years. Those who most celebrate the sovereign grace of election - thats the Reformed - they are typically amillennial. This year they upgraded some snacks and are handing out Zone protein bars, a major enhancementhowever, I am really missing my family. Israel disobeyed the law, youre done. You would assume that they are confused because the Bible is confusing, and if the Bible is confusing, then God Himself is confused, and so, working hard - and it is often hard work - to understand prophetic passages is needless. As one prominent amillennialist said when asked, What is the biblical significance of the existence of Jews in their land? and he said, It has no significance at all. Really? Why? He confronts the views of covenant theology, historical premillennialism, ultradispensationalism, and, in this revised edition, the increasingly popular progressive dispensationalism. I recently read this great article and would recommend every professing Calvinist to give it a read, I believe John MacArthur's arguments for Pre-Millennialism are biblically irrefutable, mainly because the traditional Reformed view (Amillennialism) does away (Replacement Theology) with future Israel (God's Elect) and that is far from the truth Romans 11:28 . Premillennialism Historic Premillennialism Postmillennialism Amillennialism view sees the re-establishment of temple worship and animal sacrifices as a remembrance of Christ's sacrifice. And I can only tell you I am unwaveringly committed to the sovereign election of a future generation of Jews to salvation, and the full inheritance of all the promises and covenants of God given to them in the Old Testament. Now, if you want to get the future right, youve got to get Israel right, and youve got to get Gods sovereign electing purpose right. The amil guy, MacArthur said, would have to say that things have changed, those promises no longer apply to you, we have them now and this is the kingdom. Turn to Revelation chapter 1. If you interpret Old Testament prophecies literally, they cannot be fulfilled in this present age. John MacArthur's first message at the Shepherds' Conference set off shock waves throughout the reformed evangelical church by upholding Premillennialism as being the only consistent position for any person who holds to the doctrine of sovereign electing grace. Return the sovereignty of God in election to its rightful place, return the nation Israel to its rightful place, and your eschatology will unfold in beautiful clarity. Ridgeleys original work was titled A Body of Divinity: Wherein the Doctrines of the Christian Religion are Explained and Defended, Being the Substance of Several Lectures on the Assemblys Larger Catechism and was published in 1731.)) To say youre an amillennialist is only to tell me what you dont believe, and then you have to go to all of the passages of Scripture that talk about the kingdom and tell me why you dont believe they mean what they say. We are responsible for our sin, but in the end, we believe because He moves on us. Anything to avoid premillennialism, even if you change the rules of interpretation. There are a number of viewpoints of what the Bible means when it speaks of future events. Theres a rapture, and theres a bma seat judgment; we know that. In a really interesting illustration MacArthur envisioned an amillennialist evangelizing a Jew. The first phase of that eternal rule will be His reign on this earth, which will last - as Revelation 20 says six times - a thousand years, after which His rule will continue, because it is an everlasting rule, but it will continue in a new heaven and a new earth that replace this heaven and earth, which will melt in an atomic implosion and make way for the new creation. All right. We also applaud his insistence that the Bible must be interpreted literally, according to its normal sense. . Because we dont want you to incur expenditure for which you are not prepared, could you please confirm whether you are willing to pay this charge, if necessary? This morning John MacArthur opened the 2007 Shepherd's Conference with a loud blast that will no doubt be heard around the Reformed world in the coming weeks. God is just trying to find His way through the melee of choices and decisions, through the endless vicissitudes and choices that everything and everyone makes, through all of the numberless issues in this massive universe that are going on; Hes sorting it all out as He goes. Btw, LA is beautiful and the conference is great, I hope to post some reflections as the week goes on. Now, against those two is the view called premillennialism; that means there will be a millennium and prior to that millennium, Jesus will come. That's OK and no one is surprised or upset about that. Dispensationalism is perhaps a key reason why evangelicals have such a concern with what happens to the nation of Israel. An article by John MacArthur: "The common question of which Bible translation to use is very important--it concerns the most important words ever spoken, the words of God the Creator. God promised him the inheritance of the land. I. Dr. MacArthur on Premillennialism and Calvinism: "Now that leads to my title: `Why Every Self-Respecting Calvinist Is a Premillennialist' [laughter and applause] Now it's too late for Calvin, but it's not too late for the rest of you. Where is the divine mandate to do that? Moreover, John, as again stated by Papias, ascribed the origin of millenarianism to Christ . There are over two thousand references to Israel in Scripture; not one of them means anything but Israel. . 3. You can follow him on Twitter. Would you agree? Its a strange approach. You cannot fight the war on every front, and at the great time of the Reformation, they were fighting the war where the battle raged the hottest. We've been working our way through doctrinal emphases in Scripture, doctrinal themes, and we have covered a lot of ground. And Im not into all kinds of complex charts, and Im not into all that is traditionally known as dispensationalism - seven dispensations, two kingdoms, two New Covenants, two ways of salvation, discontinuity between the Old Testament and the New - Im not talking about that. He is currently the chancellor emeritus of The Master's University in . I have - they can try to terrify me with all this stuff; I am unmoved. But they never got around to eschatology; they never got around to applying their formidable skills. Resting Not Vexing, Our Anchor in a Sea of Chaos and Consternation, Why I (Sometimes) Listen to Supreme Court Oral Arguments. John MacArthur's ministries, including Grace to You and Masters University, also employ a grammatical historical method of interpretation, and they come to a dispensational view of eschatology. Show it to me. Macarthur writes "Futuristic Premillennialism is the result of an understanding and application of the prophetic texts in a way that is consistent with the normal, literal approach to interpreting Scripture." This is how the authors come to their Futuristic Premillennial view. And so, I think its a fair test to see whether eschatology holds up. You get the interpretation of Scripture right when youre faithful to valid rules of interpretation. Theyve been refined, clarified, expanded, enriched through these 50 years, but I was convinced when I started. It makes no sense. Along that line, I went to Moody Press and I said, Look, Ive written two volumes on Revelation - I dont know, its 800 or 900 pages - and I realized not everybody is going to go through all of that. Why TMS? Part of what we pray for in the second petition, Thy kingdom come, is that the gospel [be] propagated throughout the world, the Jews called, the fullness of the Gentiles brought in. In his commentary on the Larger Catechism, Thomas Ridgeley (16671734) wrote, Hence, we cannot but suppose that those prophecies which respect [to the conversion of the Jews], in the latter day, together with the fullness of the Gentiles being brought in, shall be more eminently accomplished than they have hitherto been. ((Thomas Ridgeley, Commentary on the Larger Catechism, 2 vols. Now, they make perfect amillennialists; thats a perfect setup for them. Now, understanding the future is you know, thats a general statement that you would be blessed - but look at just a couple of other things quickly. From the material available online today, many would conclude that "historic premillennialism" refers to the teaching of 20th century theologian George Elton Laddand no other view. An Anglican - an Anglican - by the name of William Cunningham in 1815 wrote a book called The Premillennial Advent; he was anything but a dispensationalist. Worship - John F. MacArthur 2012-01-20 Nothing is more important than worship. He never has. He blogs at Ordinary Pastor. [2] And who made them? Revelation 1:3: Blessed is he who reads, and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it: for the time is near.. I remember when I flew to Kazakhstan in about a 35 or 38-hour flight; got off the plane at 7:00 in the morning to speak at a conference. Isaiah 65 - really, the whole chapter is about Israel, Gods elect - verse 22: My elect again shall enjoy long the work of their hands. Israel repeatedly called Gods elect; we know what that means. His presentation was not an attempt to harmonize Calvinism with a premillennial view but rather to show the inconsistency of the contrary. Cause what that means is God does know the future; God has set the future, and the future involves not only the glory of His church but the fulfillment of His elect people Israel with regard to everything that He promised that nation. How could He hold them responsible for not believing? Whether youre talking about the church as Gods elect, or Israel as Gods elect, both are Gods elect. First of all, we commend Dr. MacArthur for his solid Biblical position on Israel, and that Israel has a glorious future in the plan and purpose of God. Receiving Not Achieving. The Savoy Declaration, drawn up in October 1658 by English Congregationalists meeting at the Savoy Palace, London, included the conversion of the Jews in its summary of the Churchs future hope: We expect that in the latter days, Antichrist being destroyed, the Jews called, and the adversaries of the kingdom of his dear Son broken, the churches of Christ being enlarged and edified through a free and plentiful communication of light and grace, shall enjoy in this world a more quiet, peaceful, and glorious condition than they have enjoyed. You get Israel right when you get the Old Testament covenants and promises with Israel right. ( 3:16) . Ridgeley spends several pages refuting ancient and modern Chiliasts, or Millennarians ((Ridgeley, Commentary on the Larger Catechism, 1:558562.)) He comes pre, not post; He comes before. DP also believes that God has a place for both national Israel (cf. In a shocking conclusion to the illustration, MacArthur said, if this is the kingdom, then Jesus is not the messiah. The reformers had it right on most issues. I was talking to one of our missionaries just this same week I gave this talk to the pastors, and he was coming back from China and he said, Theres only one view in the church in China and its the premillennial view. Of course, because they just take what Scripture says. The beliefs of Premillennialism are far from "rightly dividing the word of truth"!